It Came From the ‘80s is a monthly series that pays homage to the monstrous, deadly, and often slimy creatures that made the ‘80s such a fantastic decade in horror.
Where there are Ghostbusters, there is Slimer. The gluttonous ghost didn’t even have a name in his first appearance, nor were the minds behind Ghostbusters II even sure they’d bring him into the mix. Yet Slimer’s presence in both Ghostbusters and The Real Ghostbusters cartoon made him supremely popular with kids, which tipped the indecisive scales on the sequel. In turn, it solidified the Class 5 full-roaming vapor as a mainstay fixture in the franchise.
In the script for Ghostbusters, Slimer had no name. He was referred to as the Onionhead Ghost, described as a foul-smelling thing with an affinity for slime. Director/Producer Ivan Reitman likened the specter to Bluto from Animal House, and he was considered to be the ghost of John Belushi. Designing the Onionhead Ghost of John Belushi proved not as easy as it might sound. Executives and writers had lots of specific ideas, making the lengthy design process for this particular ghost extra tough for Boss Films Studio visual effects team, and effects artist and sculptor Steve Johnson in particular.
According to Johnson, impending deadlines put the pressure on to sculpt the final design, and an assist from cocaine helped him nail it.
As for implementing the lovable ghost on screen, Johnson’s design and sculpt was transformed into a foam latex puppet. Puppeteer Mark Wilson got into the puppet to operate Slimer’s body and arm movement, his legs dressed in pitch black to hide them. Off-camera puppeteers controlled Slimer’s facial expressions. Slimer’s parts were shot against a black screen, and the footage was later overlaid with the rest of the film, giving it that translucent effect. Essentially, a lot of puppeteering and clever camera tricks. Oh and Reitman voiced Slimer.
The same method was used in the creation of the film’s first introduction to the world of supernatural, the somewhat terrifying Library Ghost. Ruth Oliver played the quiet, subdued version of the specter roaming the shelves of the library. When Venkman (Bill Murray), Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), and Spengler (Harold Ramis) antagonize her with enough noise, her human façade gives way to a much more ghoulish appearance. Like Slimer, Johnson is the one behind her design, too.
The team lifecast Oliver to use as a basis for building a ghastly animatronic version of the character. The human features were elongated and distorted to creepy proportions, and the costume was rigged to tear-away and expose the ghoulish body underneath.
Boss Films and Johnson delivered two memorable ghosts at opposite ends of the scare spectrum, among a sea of remarkable creature designs for one of the ‘80s best supernatural comedies: the lovable mascot of the franchise, and the menacing librarian that offered an initial thrilling introduction to the Ghostbusters. The latter of which served as my own personal gateway into horror.
It’s Slimer, though, that has proven to be one of the most enduring creatures of the ’80s.
